Disability Advocacy Day Brings Together Stakeholders on Disability Policy Issues

Utah State Today regularly highlights work created by the talented journalists at Utah Public Radio. The following story previewing this year's Disability Advocacy Day was published by UPR prior to its inclusion in Utah State Today.

Utah State University will be hosting its third annual Disability Advocacy Day on Wednesday. Policymakers and other influencers will discuss upcoming disability issues and initiatives during the legislative session.

“Disability Advocacy Day is really a day meant to bring self-advocates and people with disabilities, professionals in the field, as well as legislators all together to talk about the important issues that are going on within the world of disability,” Aubrey Snyder said.

Snyder works at USU’s Institute for Disability Research Policy and Practice. She is helping coordinate this year’s Disability Advocacy Day.

In addition to learning about how to advocate for oneself and for those who have disabilities, many are attending to discuss new legislation and bills that are in this year's legislative session.

“It's really a day for everyone to come together, learn a little bit more about how legislation works, how advocacy works, how you can better tell your story, what's coming up this legislative session, what bills are showing up that people may have an interest in and want to advocate for," Snyder said.

Rep. Jennifer Dailey-Provost for Utah’s House District 24 in the Utah State House of Representatives has worked as a health care and public health advocate at the capitol for over a decade. She will be speaking at this year's event.

“We have a lot of work to do to make sure we have better resources for people with disabilities in the state. But we certainly have a lot of work to do, to elevate and lift up and support people who don't, who so often don't have a voice at the table,” Dailey-Provost said.

Rep. Daily-Provost spoke more about how important proposed bills are this year:

“When people think of people with disabilities, they imagine a person in a wheelchair, right?” she said. “And that's kind of the beginning and end of it, but the vast majority of people with disabilities have invisible disabilities, and that doesn't take away the difficulty in accessing necessary resources that you have a right to have access, this is the Ombudsman's job, to recognize that there is a huge spectrum of disability.”